Lucky Fourteen
by PikaForce
Summary: What's a guy to do at three in the morning with no power? Drew wondered. Settling himself on a kitchen chair, he opened up a scrapbook...and blew open the lid to his and May's crazy fourteen-year-old past. ContestShipping. REVIEW!
1. Opening the Lid

_All right, here's the ContestShipping fic I promised! Although it doesn't really fall into the 'philosophical' or 'parody' categories, and I don't know if it's going to be short or long (though I would suspect the latter if I were you), I promise that it will be interesting! _

_Thanks everyone for reading, and let me know if you like it, hate it, or whatever!_

_~PikaForce_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It was raining outside.

The emerald-haired man stretched in bed, his eyes wide as he took in the sparkling droplets by the window. The outside house lights were on, illuminating each and every raindrop, and he admired the beauty in each miniature diamond clinging to his window. He figured that being a Pokemon Coordinator had given him a sense of beauty, of style. Many years ago, he had once told his future wife that she had no style…he winced. Bad mistake.

A low rumble of thunder rippled through the countryside, reaching the man's ears. He gave his wife a sidewise glance. She was sleeping peacefully, her eyelids closed smoothly over her pale features. He raised a finger and touched the tip of her nose, and he could've sworn that the shadow of a smile crossed May's face. He grinned sleepily.

He had lain awake for several minutes when he decided that he would get up and drink something hot. He knew very well that he would not be able to fall asleep again after waking up and wasn't about to fight it. He slid off the bed, running a hand through his hair, and rubbing his green eyes. A pair of black slippers ("manly slippers" according to his beloved) awaited his cold toes, and he readily slipped his feet into them.

He was fully ready to get downstairs and drink his hot…tea, he decided. Chamomile. Or did he want peppermint? He shrugged off the thought.

But first, he reminded himself, he wanted to check on the baby.

She was sleeping, the glow from the lights outside shining on her perfect, round face. He smiled gently, brushing a strand of her tufted emerald hair away from her tiny forehead. She looked very much like her father.

"-And that's a good thing," May had told him firmly when he had objected to such stipulation. "I married the most handsome man in Hoenn."

"Only in Hoenn?"

"Don't push it," she'd said, shoving him playfully. "You're never going to change, are you, Drew?"

"We've only been married five years," he objected in a mock-whiny voice. "I've got time. I'm twenty-six, for goodnesss sake!"

The glare she'd given him was all he'd needed to give a prompt response. "As long as you don't want me to," he'd said, taking her arm like a gentleman.

May had rolled her deep blue eyes. "Of course I don't." Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, but that hadn't stopped them from softening when he'd kissed her.

"As long as you don't want me to change," Drew muttered, pulling back into the present. He kissed his little girl on the forehead and turned to take the stairs.

Halfway down the two flights, the power went out. He refrained from banging his fist on the stair rail in frustration. Living out in the country had been _May's_ idea. Still, if she didn't want the superior technology and amenities that LaRousse City offered, that was just fine with him…she could deal with the power outages. Frowning, he grabbed a flashlight from the landing and went to light some candles.

Luckily, there was enough hot water left in the sink for him to pour a cup of tea. He grabbed a packet of whatever and stuffed it into the mug, drinking deeply. Whatever it was, it tasted warm and spicy and very good.

_Now, what to do? No TV…no instant messaging with the Ketchums at three in the morning…_he had to grin at that notion. Ash wouldn't be asleep either; he hated thunderstorms. Pikachu would revel in them. _So…what's a guy to do at this time of night with no power?_

_Scrapbook?_ Why that thought popped into his head was a mystery to him. _Ah, yes…May's been bugging me to look through them and see what I thought._ He shrugged noncommittally. _I'm sure they're fine. But while I've got nothing better to do –_

Lighting a fresh candle, the green-haired man swiped a scrapbook bound in sky-blue linen from the bookshelf. _This one looks older._ He flipped to the first page, expecting pictures from maybe a couple of years ago, on vacation with the Ketchums. Something recent.

Therefore, what he got was a bit of a shock.

Drew put a hand to his forehead, eyes wide, as he scanned the photographs. These brought back memories in tidal waves…no, he amended, in tsunamis. He was fourteen in these photographs; so was May. Not that they were together in many pictures on this page…he sighed. Memories indeed.

He was tempted to go on to the next page, but there were so many good moments just on this single piece of paper…and there would be plenty of time for the others later…there was the time when he'd nearly confessed to May how he felt about her…and the time when she'd taken a dare and stolen his newest gadget – Drew shook his head in amusement, unable to finish the thought, along with the long string of thoughts that came pouring after it. How had all of that happened in one year?

_And why am I suddenly so…sleepy?_ Drew flicked his hair impatiently away from his face in a lifelong gesture, determined to stay awake to see more photos…but the tea (or whatever it was) was warm…and the candlelight was very soothing…Drew's grassy head finally rested on a picture of himself and May at the Hoenn Premier, an exclusive Pokemon Contest that he'd been eligible to enter after winning his first Grand Festival at age 13…

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Drew shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked the length of the marble counter at the front desk. The receptionist was extraordinarily busy at the moment, so he decided to do something that he'd been thinking about doing for a long time.

There was a large mahogany table gleaming in the corner of the spacious entryway. The young Coordinator sat down and took out a sheet of paper from his pack, along with a jet-black ink pen. He stuck the tip of the pen in his mouth for a moment as he thought. Then he began to write.

_Dear May,_

_I'm at the Hoenn Premier. You know, that Pokemon Contest I was telling you about the other day? Did you qualify to compete?_

Wait. That sounded…presumptuous. Besides, if she _had_ made it, she would be here, right? He sighed and crossed it out, debating on whether or not to just throw the letter away and try again…

"Hey! It's Drew!"

Drew's head whipped around, his hand automatically covering the letter-in-progress. "Ash?"

The dark-haired Trainer walked over casually and leaned against one of the many marble columns that adorned the floor and ceiling. "Hey, Drew! Long time, no see, huh?"

Drew flicked his hair. "Yeah, I guess. Say…what are _you_ doing here, anyway?"

"May's here, competing." Ash shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. And in a way, it was…just not expected.

Drew smoothly shuffled the partially-finished letter into his pack without a second glance, trying not to let Ash know how much he had been hoping that May would make it. Allowing himself little emotion, he eyed Ash speculatively. "Well…where is she?"

Ash jerked his thumb back to the receptionist's desk, still swarming with Coordinators. "Back there. I told her it would be better to wait until the line – or I guess, the _mob_ – had cleared out a bit, but…you know May. As usual, she wouldn't listen." He chuckled. "She's been so eager to get here, and so eager to see -"

_Me?_ Drew finished mentally. He leaned forward slightly in his chair, then caught himself. _Tch. Why do I care?_

All of a sudden a redheaded young woman came tearing out of the crowd of Coordinators, smiling brightly as she waved to them across the room. "It's May!" she called to Ash. "She's signed in!" When she caught sight of Drew, her eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled. Was that a devilish glint in her bright blue eyes? Drew wondered. He shrugged off the notion.

Upon hearing the news, Ash pumped a fist, yelling, "Yes! Thanks, Misty!" When Drew looked askance at him, the Trainer smiled sheepishly and said, "We've been waiting here for over two hours."

Drew smirked. He would have waited for the line to clear; in fact, he was doing it now. Knowing May, however, it was obvious that she'd wait in any line if she could be one of the first Coordinators to get in.

"I'm in! I made it!" The girl being speculated upon raced forward across the plush carpet towards Ash and his redheaded companion. May flung her arms around the girl, saying, "I can't believe I finally made it in, Misty! That line -"

"Or that _mob_," smirked Drew, waiting for her to notice him.

"- Or that mob," May amended, "was just killer – wait," she said, her blue eyes widening as she spun around, "_Drew!?_"

The emerald-headed young man smiled smugly, thoroughly enjoying himself. "None other."

"Oh, Drew!" she cried, running towards him, on the brink of a hug. "Are you entering, too?"

"Yeah," he said, drawing out the word, as well as a rose from his shirt pocket. "However, unlike _you_, I have the gift of patience, and furthermore -"

May squished him in a quick embrace, and if Drew hadn't turned to look at her in mild alarm he would have noticed that Misty wore a triumphant smirk.

"Hello to you too," he said warily. This wasn't what normally happened between them: No insults (at least not many, for Drew had only had so much time), no angry, screaming May, no subtle flirting on Drew's part (or May's, for that matter)… And Drew was a man of habit. He handed her the rose, hoping that it would magically change her back to normal.

May laughed, taking the crimson flower and stroking a petal absentmindedly, as if trying to remember something. Then, to both boys' surprise, she stuck out her free hand to Misty. "Oh, yeah! Can't believe I forgot! Ten bucks, puh-leeze."

Misty laughed, unwrinkled a faded bill from her bag, and struck it into the other girl's palm. "It was totally worth it," she said teasingly, wriggling her eyebrows.

Drew shared a look with Ash. It said, _Oh, boy, what're they up to this time?_

May laughed again at the looks on their faces. "Nothing to worry about, guys," she assured. "Just a bet."

Drew flicked his hair from his bright green eyes with two fingers. When it came to May, he didn't miss a thing anymore. "What bet?"

Misty stepped in as May opened her mouth nervously. "Just a stupid dare. Hey, Drew, the line's pretty much gone! Looks like May was one of the last people to register," she added, wiggling her eyebrows. "You'd better hurry up, Coordinator Extraordinaire."

Rolling his eyes and with the ever-present smirk playing on his lips, the Pokemon Coordinator shoved his hands in his pockets and walked slowly to the registration desk.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_So…you like it? Love it? Hate it? Then REVIEW! This was pretty darn fun to write, and I plan to add more humor in the near future, so stay tuned for more flashbacks/silliness!_

_Force be with you, _

_Pika_


	2. It Takes Two to Tango

Next up…the second chapter in our heroes' little flashback! This was originally part of Chapter One, but I felt like I should split them up because it seemed too long; also, I edited this about a million times to get it just the way I wanted it, but I think it was worth it. Now, enough bragging on myself. On with the show!

_~PikaForce_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The wind was howling now outside the country house; the storm had swelled to a true tempest. The bedroom was filled with creaks and moans as the gale rocked the sturdy framing, and outdoors the lightning slashed through the torrents of water, creating a violent pattern of flickering droplets on the windowpanes.

A young brunette woman stirred in bed, sticking out an arm to see if her husband had left. He had.

The woman rolled her eyes. _No surprise there._ Drew Hayden could hardly stand storms. Truth be told, she felt the same way, although she'd never admit it to him out of stubborn independence. It was true that something of the Haydens' old childhood rivalry still remained in their relationship, creating an occasional stubborn argument or rift between them. But Drew was just so desperate to kiss and make up every single time that…well, May couldn't help but forgive him. _At least, _almost_ every single time,_ she amended with a small smirk. _Nobody's perfect._

Sliding off the bed and into her red fuzzy slippers, May bundled herself into a robe and, after peeking into the baby's room, headed down the dark stairs in search of her husband/rival/partner-in-crime.

She realized that the power was out when she saw his shadowy form draped partway across the table, illuminated by candlelight. _If we had power, he'd be IMing a certain Ash Ketchum right about now. _She smiled as she approached him, sliding her hand across his head. Her fingers came to rest on something that felt like…paper. Paper?

Peering into the candle flame, May could have sworn that there was a scrapbook under there. But that couldn't be true. Drew and scrapbooks just didn't mix…or did they? May smiled, bemused by such a thought.

_I'm about to die of curiosity, but…will I wake him? One way to find out… _Sliding her fingers beneath the book, the brunette woman slid the volume – very gently – from beneath Drew's green head, making sure that he was still out cold before looking at the page that he had apparently fallen asleep looking at.

Suddenly she jerked her hand back. Something was smeared across a corner of the page. Something _wet._ "Eww!" May said in a loud whisper. _Note to self: Figure out a kind way to tell Drew that he drools when he sleeps._

Ignoring the undesirable corner, she scanned the rest of the page, recognizing the people and places in the pictures as if she'd seen them all yesterday. She smiled affectionately at Drew. _He'd kill me for saying this out loud, but…he really is such a sentimental._ These were photos from when she was fourteen years old – twelve years ago. And Drew had been the same age…so young, and yet, not so young… Smiling, she lit a candle from his burning wick and sat down on the old, overstuffed recliner with the bright flame of the candle shining from the cherry side table nearby.

To be fourteen again…thoughts of the past mingled in May's tired mind, eventually blending the present and past as her head drifted closer and closer to the back of the chair. She dropped off the cliff of consciousness and immersed herself in dreams as her head lolled back, her eyes closed, and her fingers went limp on the carefully bound pages…

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"…You'd better hurry up, Coordinator Extraordinaire," Misty taunted, narrowing her eyes at the green-haired boy.

His hands in his pockets in the typical cool-guy slouch, Drew walked over to the now-deserted reception counter at the Hoenn Premiere Pokemon Contest. But something about the way Drew walked exuded confidence. It almost made May smile as she stood watching him walk away. Her smile evaporated as she realized that Ash and Misty were staring at her with totally clueless and knowingly smug expressions, respectively.

"Boys," May muttered, attempting to cover for herself with an awkward smile. "Always acting so cool." She bent down and was about to pretend to tie her shoe – before she realized that it had no laces. _Real smooth, May Maple. Will I be this awkward _forever_? Like, even when I'm…twenty!? Ugh, heaven forbid…_

"Well, I've got us a couple of room keys," said Ash, totally oblivious as usual. He twirled the jangling metal on his finger. "I'll go on up and stick our bags in." He grabbed Misty's and May's bags from the chair near the one that Drew had been occupying, then headed over to the elevator and was soon enveloped by the sliding silver door.

Misty shook her head in frank disbelief. "Since when is Ash so…polite?" she murmured. After both males were out of earshot, she leaned down and hissed in May's ear what she'd been waiting to say all along. "Don't talk next time I hand over the dough! Let me cover for you."

The brunette stood up at last from her "shoe-tying" position. "You sound like a mobster or something," she scolded matter-of-factly, crossing her arms in an exaggerated motion. "And besides, I dunno, it just seems…weird. I mean, going behind their backs, and all…Drew especially," she added, her face coloring slightly. "I've known both guys for years, Misty. Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"

Misty crossed her arms, glaring at May's slightly red face. "It's about time you got together with him. The grass-head's crazy for you."

"No, he isn't," May insisted, although her eyes softened a bit. "You can tell by the way he looks -"

"- You can tell by the way he looks at you that he's nuts for you, May," Misty said with an air of finality. Her self-assurance annoyed May. May growled under her breath and refused to reply.

The two girls began to walk up the stairs together, passing the overloaded elevator. "Well," May said after a time, a definite twinkle in her deep blue eyes, "does that mean that we get to repeat this little process – with you and a certain Ash Ket-"

"YOU - WOULDN'T – DARE - !"

"O-Okay, okay," May choked out, trying to release Misty's hands from her throat. "I surrender."

Misty graciously relinquished the death-grip, laughing off her embarrassment (both at the mention of her black-haired friend and at the fact that she'd freaked out so much at the mention of a blossoming romance between them…). "Hey, May," she said in her 'let's plan something' voice, "I've seen Drew playing around with -"

"Before this continues down the path I know it's about to, I just want to say that I'm not gonna spy on Drew! I've already done…" May trailed off, her face crimson as she stared at the opposite wall. _I've already embarrassed myself once today – I'd really rather not do it again._

Luckily, her redheaded friend didn't seem to be paying much attention. "Drew's got a new iPod, and he's been showing it off to everyone. Wanna go sneak a look?"

May blinked. "Wait…what?" _Drew's got a new touch? He should be happy with his Classic…the thing's not even that old; heck, he was showing it off to me only three months ago…_

"Never mind," Misty said, her impatience – and excitement – rising. Her fingers reached for May's gloved hand. "Just follow me."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_So…whaddya think? Interesting? Surprised that I randomly stuck an iPod in? Just to go on record, I have not watched the recent movie _Seventeen Again_, nor do I plan to. I liked the concept, but I honestly didn't think I could write May and Drew at seventeen years old and keep them in-character. So yeah, you get_ Lucky Fourteen. _(Y'know, a play off of "lucky thirteen"? Get it? Oh, well…) _

_Also…REVIEW, GUYS! C'mon, I know you can do it! Really, in all seriousness – you like it, you love it, you're neutral, ya hate it – I don't care __**how**__ you feel about the story, but I really appreciate reviews! They're what keep me going!_

_Finally, all credit where credit is due._

_iPods and iAnythings © Apple_

_Pokemon © Satoshi Tajiri and the Pokemon Company _

_Thanks to all my readers, and all the people who have added _L14_ (as I've dubbed it) to their Favorites and/or Watch lists!_

_~PikaForce_


	3. A Secret Deal

I apologize for the short length of the last couple of chapters; these next chaps will be much longer. I guess you could call the first two chapters the exposition (for all you literary-minded peeps), or a prologue. Anyway, this is where the fun really begins, at least from my standpoint. So LET'S GO!

_~Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"…Misty, I really don't think there's much point." May ran a hand through her hair in a distressed manner. Suddenly her blue eyes became slits. "I mean, going to all this trouble just to see an iPod…what are you _really_ up to -"

"Shh!" Misty hissed back. To the uniformed attendant at the front desk she asked sweetly, "Excuse me, sir. Could you possibly tell us where Drew Hayden is staying?"

The attendant, clad in a smart chartreuse suit and dark glasses, eyed her warily. "The Pokemon Coordinators participating in the Contest are under protection that includes the Non-Obtrusive Act, stating that -"

"But you see," Misty replied, bowling him over with words, "I'm Drew's friend Misty Waterflower, and this" – she shoved her brunette friend forward – "is May Maple, another Coordinator in the Contest. She knows him even better than I do."

The man in uniform rubbed his chin, hemming and hawing for a moment before answering, "Do you have identification?" He looked doubtful.

Misty elbowed May, who grudgingly dug through her pack before extracting a rather worn Contest Pass. A much younger picture of May was printed on it, although the two looked virtually the same.

"Hmm…" The attendant took the pass and gazed from May to her younger counterpart on the photo and back again. "Are you sure that this is really you -"

"For Pete's sake, hurry up, it looks _exactly like her_!" yelled Misty, her temper and impatience getting the better of her. She paled as May clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops," she whispered through May's fingers.

Apparently oblivious to the impatient girl, the man in green examined May and her photographic counterpart a few more times before reluctantly handing the Pass back to May. "I suppose you are certified," he sighed.

Misty began to edge away, her face frozen in a smile. She appeared to be petrified, to May's amusement. "I suppose we'll just be going now…" the redhead mumbled, her lips barely moving. "Bye…"

"Don't you want to know Mr. Hayden's room number?" the attendant asked, one eyebrow quirked suspiciously. He cast a cold eye on Misty; it appeared he hadn't missed her snub, after all.

May replied evenly. "Of course we do." _At least, _one _of us does. At this point, though, I don't quite know which one._ She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her redheaded friend, usually so brave but now cowering as if the man were a Caterpie.

"His number is 379." The man bowed briefly; the motion was unmistakably a signal for them to leave. "Have a nice day."

"T-Thanks," May managed to stutter as a terrified Misty yanked her away from the counter. The Coordinator noted that her friend's pale hand was streaked with sweat.

"Aw, c'mon, Misty," she said bracingly, "You weren't really _that_ scared, were you?"

Misty turned her blue eyes, wide with unexplainable terror, towards May. "I guess I'll take that as a yes," The brunette said dryly.

Taken aback, the redhead attempted to defend herself after a moment, slowing down a little so that they were now only power-walking (instead of sprinting) down the hall. "I had good reason to be. That guy was just…creepy!" she said, her voice rising.

"No, he wasn't, you were rude to him. He probably thinks you're a psychopath now," May admonished. "And you're _still_ on pins and needles. Calm down!"

"Yeah, whatever, I'm not on pins and – AAAAAAAACK!" Someone had stepped out in front of them, and Misty (contrary to her word) leaped a foot in the air, screeching like a chimpanzee.

Caught totally caught off-guard, Ash stumbled back as Misty screamed. When he realized who it was that he had walked out into, he caught her by the shoulders and shook her, trying not to laugh. His laughter proved to be short-lived, however.

"Misty! It's only me! Hey, Misty -"

"-AAAAAA-"

"Um, Misty -"

"-AAAAAAA-"

"EARTH TO MISTY!" Ash roared over the girl's relentless screams of terror. "DO YOU READ?!"

May gave the pair one wide-eyed, disbelieving look, then began to smack her forehead repeatedly against the wall. _This is not happening in a public place,_ she told herself. _This is NOT happening in a public place –_

"What kind of morons would scream at each other in a public place?" a familiar voice quipped.

"_These _morons." May looked up long enough from her "head-banging" to give Drew a half-disgusted, half-humorous glance. She wasn't surprised to see him here, though she didn't quite know why. Perhaps it was because they often met up in unexpected places…

He leaned suddenly closer to her, and May found that it took an effort to meet his emerald eyes with her cobalt ones…Drew held them for a moment before replying, his voice rough. "On the other hand, what kind of idiot would just stand there in front of them, banging her head against the wall?"

The brunette Coordinator shoved her rival away. "_This_ idiot," she said, her voice a higher pitch than she had intended. She jerked a thumb to her chest with her best attempt at a bland, careless look. But it was hard to do when the guy you had a crush on was inches away, smiling amusedly at you…actually, it was very hard…

The two were drawn back into the situation at hand rather suddenly by a shout from Misty, who seemed to have turned the scream-fest in a different direction. "I WASN'T SCARED!" Misty was now hollering at Ash, who stood with fists clenched at his sides. It appeared that the dynamic duo had slipped back into their arguing mode smoothly and easily…maybe a little _too_ easily, May observed…

"Oh, yeah!?" Ash shot back. "Then how come as soon as I walked out in front of you, you started SCREAMING and HOLLERING-"

"Beautifly," May cried as she released the Pokeball, "use Stun Spore!" She could barely be heard over the bickering, but her Pokemon's attack didn't need to be heard to be effective. A shower of light gold dust settled down on the Trainers. At first their words grew slurred, and then they stopped shaking fists and waving arms. In less than a minute they were both silently slumped over on the floor, twitching.

Triumphantly, May called her Pokemon back. "Nice work, Beautifly." Then she rounded on her two best friends. "That's what you get for almost getting us kicked out by security."

Ash and Misty could only gaze up at her dolefully, with the occasional (not to mention slightly disturbing) twitch of an eye or a limb.

Drew was leaning against the wall a few feet away from the scene (as was his habit), his eyes dancing with laughter. "As far as your attack, May…practical, but not very creative."

May's cool eyes suddenly blazed fire. "WHY, YOU LITTLE -!"

Drew stepped coolly backward. "Hey, watch it, princess," he mocked. "Don't knock your crown crooked."

"Take it back!"

"Will not!"

"You'd better -!"

Drew changed tacks at the speed of light, gesturing toward the twitching Trainers still on their backs. "Let them go, May. I think you taught them their lesson," he smirked.

May grinned back at the prospect, the previous argument at least temporarily forgotten. "I can't. It takes about ten minutes for this stuff to wear off."

Her rival barked a laugh. "So be it." He motioned toward the floor near their incapacitated friends. "Shall we?"

And so they settled themselves a few feet away from the temporarily paralyzed duo. At first content to maintain a comfortable silence, they soon began to discuss the last Pokemon Contests they had entered and who they'd need to watch out for in the Appeal Round.

_Now this is the life,_ May smiled as she watched Drew's animated face, giving her an in-depth description of his latest match. _Of course, what he's telling me is pretty boring, but just being with him…is enough._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Drew leaned back, closing his eyes as May recounted her last Contest, which she'd won. He pictured her Beautifly using the old standby, Silver Wind, combined with its Psychic to make a mass of swirling purple radiance that shimmered throughout the stadium. Then, without even trying, he pictured his rival's face as she bowed to the roaring crowd and the judges, her eyes alight with joy and gratitude as she stroked her Beautifly and gazed out at the thousands of people cheering…for her…

The boy opened his green eyes, expecting to snap out of his reverie, but instead saw that May's face was a radiant as he'd been envisioning, as if she'd won all over again. Suddenly he looked away, afraid that he looked weird just staring at her. _What is going on with me? For goodness' sake…I _do _need a vacation…_

"D-Drew? Are you okay?"

Drew met those bright blue eyes again. "Yup, I'm fine. Say," he said as if an idea had come to mind, drawing a black case out of his pants pocket, "have I showed you my new iPod?"

May shot a devious grin at Misty, who growled under her breath. Though it had already been twenty minutes, Misty and Ash were only just beginning to recover the use of their body parts. Fortunately for May, the redhead was still unable to reach her. _Otherwise, she'd have strangled me by now,_ May thought, grinning.

Drew caught his rival's gaze. "Looks like your Stun Spore was more powerful that you thought," he said, mildly impressed.

"Yeah, I guess. But Drew," said the brunette, crossing her arms, "I thought you just got yourself a black Classic, what – three, four months ago?"

"Nine, silly," he replied. "But this one's gonna be my all-around one. The Classic's just for keeping the songs I don't listen to much, and videos and stuff."

"So no songs on the touch?" May asked.

Drew narrowed his eyes as if to say, _How'd you know it was a touch?_ "Some. My favorites," he said shortly.

"So, lemme see it!" May responded in kind.

"Weeeell," said Drew, fingering the black case, "I dunno…you haven't exactly been polite about it…"

"C'MON, LEMME SEE IT!"

"Alright, alright." Drew opened the case with a flick of the wrist. "There it is. Happy?"

Catching her breath, May snatched the case from Drew's hand, eliciting a cry of "Hey!" from her fellow Coordinator but not really caring. "It's…neat," she breathed, pressing a button at random and discovering that she needed a password to continue.

Drew sighed. "Hand it over." As she reluctantly passed it to him, Drew typed in the numbers at breakneck speed, presumably so that May couldn't figure out the code. "There."

The screen flickered to life, and May flicked through the pages with mesmerized eyes. "How much did this thing _cost_?"

"Not telling, Your Rudeness." Drew shook his head as if she were a lost cause. "But honestly, who counts?"

"Those of us who actually have to save up their money to get something like this," May quipped.

Drew rolled his eyes. "The prize money given to the winner of the Premiere would be more than enough to buy it," he said, gesturing to the little device.

"What are you saying?"

Drew avoided May's squinty eyes. "Nothing." _I'm saying that you're capable of winning this if you try – but I'm not going to tell you that aloud! It's too much fun ridiculing you._

"Well…" May trailed off, driven by a glare from Misty, who was inching closer using her legs. "D'you think I could…maybe borrow it for a while?"

The little machine was snatched back out of her hands before she could say "Whodunit". "No, you may not!" Drew snapped.

"Well, excuse me for asking, mister -" Suddenly the brunette was struck by an idea, as surely as lightning strikes a tree. She leaned over and, with one eye trained on Misty, began to whisper in her rival's ear.

The green-haired boy's eyes grew wide, and then he smiled. It was perfect, her plan. Definitely worth letting her borrow the iPod. Although, he didn't know if he'd let anyone else –

"So," said May breathlessly, sitting back on her heels, "Can I borrow it? Please?"

Playing the ruthless businessman, Drew furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. _It is so much fun to tease her._

May locked eyes with him for a moment, as long as she could without embarrassing herself. Just when she was about to look away, he relented, thrusting the player into her gloved hand. A glimmer of a smile could be seen in his eyes. "It's a deal."

"Great! But, Drew" – May pressed the Home button and grimaced – "You'll need to give me the password."

He laughed. "I may need another brilliant idea from you to let you have that."

She blushed. "Sorry, I'm fresh out."

"Then let me write it down. A tiny brain like yours could hardly hold such a complex password as mine."

"Those were conflicting sentences…first I'm brilliant, then I have a tiny brain?" May grinned mischeviously, her eyes sparkling. "You're terrible at insults."

_My feelings for you are conflicted, too…should I tell you how I feel? Or keep acting like you're inferior to me, without risk to either of our feelings?_ Aloud, Drew returned the smile and said, "Sorry, genius. Here's the password."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Who knew Misty was freaked out by hotel service guys? She's not scared of much, but everybody has something kinda weird…so hers is…yeah.

_Hope you liked this chapter! If you did, REVIEW! If you didn't, REVIEW! If you feel any other sort of emotion toward this story, then…you know what to do. Next chapter hopefully updated soon. This story is moving along (in my brain, at least), so look for Chapter Four soon!_

_Force be with you,_

_Pika_


	4. Double WHAT?

Okay…now for those of you wondering why the heck I stuck an iPod in, you're about to find out. (You know who you are.)

As for the goings-on in this rather long chapter (at least by this story's standards), you'll just have to read and find out! And that's all I'm saying. ENJOY!

_~Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

May's and Misty's hotel room happened to be one of the quietest and most peaceful, since it was set back in a corner overlooking the nearby beach. If the windows were opened, the sound of briny waves breaking could reach the occupants' ears, and the scents of the sea would waft through the room. At the moment, however, the girls were investing their time on more pressing affairs – that is, checking out Drew's iPod and sulking, respectively.

Tilting her head to the side, May contemplated the sleek black device that she held in her hand. "Come here, Misty. Don't you want to see it? It _was_ your brilliant idea to get it from Drew, y'know."

Misty only sniffed, her arms crossed. Stretched across the length of one of the two beds in their hotel room, she was scratching her arms and legs irritably. Stun Spore appeared to have more…effects…than May had realized. Apparently, it made an excellent itching powder as well as a temporary solution to violent arguing.

Seeing Misty so uncomfortable spurred on May's already bothered conscience. She rose from her bed and plopped down in front of her redheaded friend, leaning over earnestly. "Wanna see it?" she said softly, coaxingly. "It's really cool…"

A hand darted out to snatch the iPod from May's tantalizingly upraised hand. "Okay, okay!" Misty cried, unable to hold in her curiosity. Pressing a button eagerly, her brow wrinkled as the screen asked her for a password. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's 3265," May said, smiling as she returned to her own pile of blankets. She'd intended to get a good night's sleep in preparation for the Contest Preliminaries in two days, but with Drew's iPod and Misty's incessant curiosity surrounding it, the Coordinator doubted that she'd get the rest she needed. _Oh, well. It was worth it for the deal that I made with –_

"So…" Misty said, tapping the screen busily, her eyes glazed over, "what was that deal that you made with Drew?"

May gulped. "Uhm…"

"Not telling, eh?" Misty, in a good humor now, shrugged. "That's okay. You have all week to tell me," she said, winking slyly.

Her best friend rolled her eyes; she was used to Misty's scheming. But this time, May had done some of her own…the thought both amused her and filled her with uncertainty. _Should I have done that?_ Shaking her head as if to clear it, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Turning to face Misty, she asked, "Why'd you want the iPod so badly?" May's eyes narrowed. "And why Drew's?"

Misty, still enraptured by the gem in her hands, didn't respond…or at least, she was pretending to be enraptured so that she wouldn't "hear" May's question.

However, May had a plan. She stroked her chin in an exaggerated thinking motion. "Well, I hope it's not because you _like_ him…" she said in a sing-song voice. The brunette didn't really believe this was true of Misty, but a small part of her mind (the pessimistic portion) wouldn't leave the prospect alone. The doubts only abated when she thought of the way Misty talked about Ash when he wasn't around…May couldn't help but smile, reassured once again. This plan of hers was going to be fun to carry out, indeed…

Misty shot bolt upright in bed, still clutching the iPod. _Score!_ May thought triumphantly, turning back to the business at hand. "Who's talking? _I_ don't like _him_!" Misty yelled. "I wanted to get the iPod because -"

May leaned forward on the edge of her bed. _Yes? YES?_

"- I wanted it because it's all part of our plan. The dare," the redhead said, breathless with the revealing of her master plan. "I thought this might…_enhance_ the process."

_Seriously?_ May quirked an eyebrow, deflated somewhat. "How so?"

"I thought, maybe, y'know, Mister Hayden might have some" – Misty leaned forward dramatically – "_love songs_ on this little beauty." She waved Drew's pride and joy in the air for emphasis, which invoked the "shake to shuffle" feature. The speakers began to blast a song unfamiliar to Misty. May, however, screamed with delight, and began singing at the top of her lungs (and with decent pitch at that):

"I used to rule…the world, seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep…alone, sweep the streets I used to roam…"

"What IS that?"

May paused in her singing long enough to respond shortly. "_Viva la Vida._ You know, Coldplay's song?"

Misty shook her head in a negative, still listening intently. "This isn't a love song," she mumbled, downcast, as the song continued.

May rolled her eyes, still singing, "And for some reason I can't explain, I know Saint Peter will call my name…" she shook her head at last as the song drew to a close. "Misty, what in the world makes you think that of all guys, Drew would have something as girly as a _love song_ on here?" she queried.

"Oh…I dunno," said Misty slowly. "Drew just sees like kind of a, well, a guy that would do that for a girl he liked…I guess it's just female intuition," she finished loftily.

_Well, that was insulting, Best Friend!_ "In case you haven't noticed, there's another female in this room, and she's none other than Yours Truly," May retorted, lounging against her bed's headboard. "Lemme see the iPod. And no one said that he actually _likes_ me, either," she added.

Misty surrendered it with a smirk. "You'll see," she muttered.

As the two females lounged in their room, the sun gradually sank below the tree line, and the sky became immersed in shimmering darkness. The stars twinkled indefinitely among the cottony clouds. The tide was drifting in, and the moonlight cast a strange and mystical hue on the waters.

The brunette Coordinator was feeling lighthearted as she flicked through the songs. As she spent the next several minutes engaged in song-browsing (none of which were romantic thus far), she became so immersed in Drew's selection – picking out songs she knew and liked, making a mental note to listen to some she didn't know, and wrinkling her nose at a couple that she wasn't too fond of – that when Misty tapped her on the shoulder she jumped.

"What, Misty?"

"What were the numbers for the password again?"

May didn't even glance up, her voice a monotone. "It's 3265."

I wonder if they translate into anything," mused Misty. "Like a secret message, y'know?"

"I wouldn't count on it," May warned, still flicking through songs. "Drew's not that deep."

"How do you know?" Misty frowned thoughtfully. "I'm gonna try out different combinations." And with that, the redhead took out a pencil and piece of paper emblazoned with the hotel name ("Premiere Suites") and opened her Pokegear, using the letters that lined up with each number (similar to a cell phone) to crack the code.

After May got bored with looking at her rival's song collection, she started watching Misty work. When a good ten minutes had gone by, she asked, "Found anything?" _But what is there to find? "L-O-V-E"? If Drew actually _was_ that thoughtful,_ the brunette thought, a small smile gracing her lips at the thought, _he'd have thought of something creative._

"I've tried every single combination," an exhausted Misty said at last, slapping the pencil on the bedcovers in defeat. She started to turn away, but suddenly her eyes lit up. "Wait, I think there's one more…" she jotted the letters down, scanning them quickly as she tried to think of any significant meaning behind them. Sighing loudly, she rolled over. "Nothing doing." The Cerulean Sister swung her legs over the bed and lethargically got to her feet. "I'm gonna take a shower," she said, still itching her arms as she zombie-walked to the adjoining bathroom. "Try to find a good movie playing, will you?" The door shut behind the girl with finality.

May was feeling sleepy, too, but the prospect of a good movie was appealing. Turning the iPod off, she grabbed the TV remote and smashed a button, jarring the old set to life. As she changed into ruby-red pajamas and removed the crimson bandanna from her head, she found her eyes straying toward Misty's piece of paper.

Finally, May got up and padded over. Peering down, she found that there were numerous clusters of four-letter combinations (most of which made no sense) scrawled across the page, all of which were crossed out except the last one, which Misty had apparently been too tired to eliminate.

May read the last entry. _D-A-M-L_. "Nothing there," she muttered, turning back to the television. "Definitely nothing." She was almost disappointed.

Suddenly May had an idea to end her boredom. By the time she had figured out what to say and do, her victim was stepping out of the shower, in clean cerulean-colored pajamas.

"Hey, Misty," May began carefully, "You know about the plan Drew and I hatched?"

"Mmhmm," said Misty, wringing out her wet, red coils.

"It involves you." As the brunette had suspected, Misty stopped mid-wring. "How so?" she said, repeating May's earlier suspicious question.

"Well, first of all, you have to go through with this, because then you and I will be even with our dares," May said quickly, wanting to get this over with. Why had she even wanted to do this for fun? It was torture. "We hatched up a plan that'll work out really great…for you and Ash," she finished in a very small voice.

"WHAT!?" Misty screamed, already reaching out a hand to wring something else – May's neck.

"Wait, wait!" May hollered, preparing to bodily defend herself.

"HOW COULD YOU, YOU CRAZY -"

"_WAIT A SECOND!_" May roared, showing a complete lack of consideration for the more elderly people in the building who were perhaps already trying to sleep. "YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!"

Misty's hand quivered, inches from her friend's throat. "W-What?" she said softly.

"You've been trying to work up the courage to do this for a long time," May replied as evenly as she could, breathing deeply. "And the final objective of your dare for me was to go out with Drew – so we would be even." Calming herself further, she said, "You're almost fifteen years old, Misty. It's time you did this."

Misty's eyes flashed steel. "You're right. It is." Slowly, her hand withdrew, and May sighed.

"But that doesn't mean I forgive you," Misty finished, her mouth twitching. She rose to her feet and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, and when she returned she was dressed again.

"Wait! W-Where are you going?"

"To ask Ash to go on a dinner date with me," said Misty with spirit. "I'll be back in about half an hour." And with that, she marched through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"- Dangflabbin' loud kids!" came an old, quavering voice from somewhere down the hall. Laughing, May plopped down on the bed, at peace once again.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Drew was sprawled on his back and flicking through an identical set of channels in his room on the opposite side of the Premiere Suites, windows overlooking the forest nearby, second floor. So far, all that was on were old Westerns and Pokemon self-help shows.

"_Your Stylish Secret Base", "Hoenn Leaue Prep", "PokeTravel Network – To Kanto and Bayond! Special", "Your Contest Pokemon's Potential" -_ His green eyes lingered briefly on the screen, on which an eager young Pokemon Coordinator was receiving instruction from an old veteran. _Boring._ The channel-surfing quest continued, with PNC (_Pokemon NewsCast_), _High Plains Drifter_ – Drew half-considered watching, but declined – and a million more Westerns after that. With a sigh, he settled on _Tips for a Better Contest,_ although he wasn't exactly on the edge of his seat (or his bed, for that matter). Instead, his thoughts drifted to his encounter with May.

_I still can't believe we're actually gonna go through with her plan,_ he thought with a smile. _But she definitely wasn't kidding. I'll bet she gets the ball rolling on our scheme tomorrow…_He sat back on one elbow, contemplating the aspects of the plan with amusement.

Suddenly, several sharp knocks sounded on the door. The green-haired boy rose to his feet and padded across the room, saying, "Who's there?"

"It's Ash! Let me in."

Drew took a step backward, not in surprise at the caller, but at the speed in which Ash had been summoned. _What do you know? May really _is_ fast!_ Quickly recovering, the Coordinator stepped forward and undid the door latch.

Ash stumbled into the room, looking slightly dazed.

"Sit down," said Drew, indicating a spot on the wrinkled bedspread. He shut the door behind his friend as Ash scurried to the bedside. Snatching up the remote before Ash (whose brain appeared to be in a fog) sat on it, Drew muted the television and sat cross-legged on the bed opposite him. "So…why are you here?" he began without preamble, knowing what Ash must say.

"Well…I've got something of a problem – well, it's not actually a problem…"

Drew leaned forward, expectancy showing in his eyes. "What is it, Ash?"

Ash twiddled his thumbs, staring at them as if his life depended on it. "I need advice. Misty just asked me out on a dinner date."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"I think it went well," Misty stated for the fifth time. "Yes, it did."

May smiled amusedly, her eyes on the TV but her thoughts elsewhere. "Well, he said yes, didn't he?"

"Sure," Misty said, looking rather pleased with herself. "I just mean, I think I didn't make him go into shock or anything."

"Well," her friend chuckled, "even if you did, Ash would've gone into shock if _any_ girl had asked him about _anything_ related to a date." They both began to laugh, eventually leaning on each other and wiping tears from their eyes as they pictured the various other girls they'd met on their travels asking Ash out on a date.

Without warning, over the muted drone of _Your Contest Pokemon's Potential _playing on the tube, the hotel phone rang.

The two girls simultaneously dashed to it, each playfully trying to be the first to pick it up. Finally, May (whose gloves provided better traction) grabbed the receiver and hit the Talk button. "Hello?"

"Hey, May." The familiarly cool voice washed over the brunette. "Mission going well, I presume?"

"Very," said May with a wink at Misty, who stuck her tongue out, knowing who it must be.

"Listen, I got him to go through with it, but he's kinda freaking out. But he'll be fine."

"O-kay," said May slowly. "That's good…I think?" She laughed lightly.

"Look, why don't you come over and we can discuss this properly? I gather that the girl in question is with you at the moment."

May was divided between happiness and trepidation at the prospect of seeing Drew again so soon. After Misty's show of courage, going to see him would mean…asking him on a date - tonight. Was she ready for that bit of the dare just yet? _Easy, girl,_ she chided herself. _He might say no._ But somehow that seemed worse still.

"Uh…May?" Came the other voice over the line. Was it her imagination, or did Drew sound just a little bit hesitant…or nervous?

"Okay. Right now?"

"Sure. I'll have the door unlocked."

May couldn't help but giggle. "You're making this sound like a secret mission." Misty leaned forward in interest, wondering what was being discussed.

"Whatever." May smiled at his answer, knowing that he was rolling his eyes. "Just come on over, 'kay?"

"Alright, over in five. 'Bye."

The second the line went dead, Misty pounced. "What secret mission!?" she cried.

May brushed her aside casually, trying to keep her clashing emotions in check. "Oh, nothing."

"The last time you said that, I ended up asking Ash Ketchum out on a dinner date," the redhead snorted.

"I'll be back in half an hour or so," May said, flying out the door before her friend could protest. As the door shut behind her, she could've sworn that a voice called, "Ask him out, already!"

The brunette smiled. Misty knew her well.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The TV was still on, but Drew's level of attention to it had lessened even more since Ash left, and even more still since he'd hung up the phone after talking with May. Worse still, the conversation with Ash was still echoing in his mind…

"_You've gotta help me!"_

"_I'll try," Drew said. "Where are you going, exactly?"_

"_The Premiere Restaurant. It's just the one in the hotel, but -"_

"_- It's still a big deal, right?" Ash nodded mutely in response. _

"_Well, of course, you should bring her flowers or something -"_

"_Roses, right?" Ash smirked, regaining a little of his old confidence._

_Drew blushed slightly. "Whatever's your favorite – or if you happen to know Misty's…"_

"_I don't." Silence reigned for several seconds. Then Ash burst out, "Drew, I don't want to do this! It's not worth it, anyway!"_

_Drew eyed Ash. "You don't mean that," he said quietly. "You like Misty a lot."_

_Ash's stubborn glare wavered slightly. "And if I did, so what?"_

_Drew's own stare was unrelenting._

"_Oh, fine," Ash sighed, "It is worth it. But what I mean is, I'm afraid to go alone, and I was thinking -"_

"_Oh, great," Drew muttered. "Ash is thinking again. I don't know if I want to hear this."_

"_I was thinking," the Trainer pushed on, "that we could…maybe…" His voice became a tiny whisper._

"_What?"_

"…_double-date."_

"_WHAT!?" Drew stood up abruptly. Honestly, how could Ash ask him that? He knew that Drew didn't date, least of all any fan-girls…and there was only one girl who he would even think of asking, anyway…_

"_Please, Drew! I can't go through with this without you!" Ash's eyes became large and watery, using the trick that worked every time – well, probably fifty percent of the time, he reasoned – when Misty was mad with him._

_Not quite knowing why he was even considering this, Drew asked tersely, "If I did do this, who would I take?"_

"_Well, that's kinda obvious, isn't it?" Ash said innocently. "May, that's who."_

"_GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Drew roared, taking a menacing step toward the black-haired boy._

_In a flash, the future Pokemon Master was out the door. Drew slammed it with such force that his teeth rattled – or maybe that was because he was grinding them._

_Faintly, a voice came through the wood. "So will ya do it, or not?" it challenged._

_Unaware what he was saying, unaware what he was getting himself into, Drew Hayden shouted the first words that sprang to his lips. "F-FINE, I WILL!" he screamed. "GO AWAY, ALREADY!"_

_The sounds of Ash jogging away, no doubt with a triumphant grin on his face, echoed down the hall. Drew leaned against the doorjamb, exhausted._

What had he done? He'd called her, intending to ask her…that. But being the coward he was, he couldn't bring himself to do it over the phone. So, he'd invited her over instead, not knowing if that was better or worse.

He was about to find out.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

…Wow. This chap ended up longer than I had originally expected, but I suppose that's a good thing, right? It also explains the delay – sorry 'bout that, guys. So…it appears that all four of our heroes have gotten themselves tangled in a rather sticky mess! How will they get out? Well, they won't. They'll have to go through with it. But that's all part of the fun, right?

If you like, REVIEW! If you don't like, REVIEW! You know the drill.

Force be with you,

~Pika


	5. Excercise Music

I certainly hope you enjoy this chap. I must say, the foursome are certainly in for the time of their lives – whether or not that's a good thing, well, let's just say that some things are better left read instead of me telling you (hint, hint). So hurry up and read!

_~Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

May's eyes flicked over the gold room numbers scrawled across the chipped wooden doors as she passed them. _There's 377…378…379…There! It's 379._ Stopping abruptly, May stared at the three numbers, and they stared back at her. For a moment, she lost her resolve and was sorely tempted to flee back to the comfort of her own room, especially when she glanced down and realized that she was still wearing her pajamas. But something more than that – she couldn't put a finger on it, or perhaps didn't really want to – kept her staring at the door, and staring. Finally she lifted a trembling hand and knocked sharply, three times.

"Coming!" came a muffled voice. The click of a latch and the creak of the door preceded Drew's appearance. His face strangely devoid of expression, he beckoned her in, and May shuffled through the door.

May's eyes scanned the room out of habit. Several books and magazines strewn about, a half-empty bag of potato chips on the nightstand, and a bed that looked as if it had undergone some sort of explosion testified to Drew's neatness – or rather, his lack of it. _But what else did I expect, honestly?_ Her mouth twitched amusedly as she plopped down on the bed that wasn't a shambles, courteously leaving her rival the unkempt one. He glared at her as he sat down amongst the piles of sheets, but she could tell from years of experience that he wasn't mad at her – not really.

Several moments passed in silence, but May made herself appear oblivious to the awkwardness – making small talk was one of her specialties. "So," she began conversationally, "what did you want to know about Misty? I got everything wrapped up neatly – she's going on the date with you-know-who!" she giggled.

Drew flicked his hair, a smirk apparent on his composed features. "I knew it would work."

Feeling a little off-center and just plain indignant at his words and smug look, May shook her head emphatically. "If you'll recall, it was _my_ idea in the first place!"

"Well, excuse me, Miss Matchmaker."

May leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "You think you're so suave…" she huffed. "Is that a challenge?"

Thus far, Drew had been struggling to find a gap in the argument, trying to steer the banter toward "matchmaking." But with these latest words of hers, a hole had appeared; if she wanted a challenge, then he, Drew Hayden, had a challenge for her. His brain screamed at him: _Ask her out already!_ He gathered all his nerve, forcing his jaw open. "It can be," he responded quietly to her angry question. "If you want it to be."

"URGH! Drew Hayden, sometimes you make me so…so…" Suddenly May's blue eyes widened, and she unclenched her fists as the meaning of her rival's words sank in. "Y-You…what?" she stammered.

"You heard what I said," Drew continued calmly. "I need to talk to you about a slight – hitch – in our plan."

Her heart thumping and leaping (though she didn't know exactly why), May forced her voice to remain steady. "Oh?"

"Y'see, Ash was really freaked out at first at the idea of going out with any girl, let alone Misty. It took some careful negotiation on my part," he smirked, "to get him to go through with it."

The brunette merely rolled her eyes at his puffed-up ego. "Continue."

But to May's bewilderment, Drew would no longer meet her eyes. "Anyway," he continued, as confidence drained from his voice, "he begged me to" – he was barely audible – "to go double-dating with him and Misty."

He looked up, expecting shock and horror from May, but getting only silence. Dead silence. And May was not a dead-silence-sort of person. _Uh-oh,_ Drew thought. "So," he continued swiftly after a few seconds' silence, "After _much_ begging and shameless pleading on Ash's part, I caved in, mainly for the success of the plan." And it was true, he thought, it _was_ mainly for the good of the plan…or at least, it had been, when he'd first considered the idea…

May, unaware of Drew's near-nervous breakdown, could hardly believe that she was hearing right. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest, but she forced it back down like one would an overexcited puppy, keeping it in check, telling it to stay calm until she heard who he was going with. _It might not be me,_ she told herself. _It might not be me. Drew has lots of so-called "female fans," tons of them. It might not be me._ But the "puppy" was winning. Soon, her heart thumped, _it's probably me, it's probably me, it's probably me, it's probably…_

"S-So," her rival said, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "I was wondering if I could…"

It's probably me, it's probably me, it's probably me…

"…if you would…"

It HAS to be me, it HAS to be me, it HAS to be me…

"…go with me on the double date? Just because Ash begged me to," he added self-consciously.

The world waited in silence. Slowly, in a tightly controlled voice (and with a similar smile), she answered him. "Okay, sure."

Forgetting that he was supposed to be the stand-offish rival for a moment, Drew searched May's face, her eyes, trying to read the emotions hiding behind them; but they were like mirrors, very serene and fragile, hiding something beneath the surface. He wasn't about to risk breaking the delicate glass.

"So…see you around?" May said lamely, cutting Drew off from his thoughts as she stood up. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure," her rival said, his voice smooth once again. "Ash and I set the dinner date to three days from now, at the Premiere Restaurant." Getting up himself, he opened the door for May. "How're you liking my songs?" he added as May walked past the threshold.

"They're pretty good. _Viva la Vida_ is a nice _touch_ – pun intended," she added as Drew rolled his eyes. "You've got nice albums. Pretty good stuff. But -" she added as an afterthought, "There's this group you have that I was a little curious about – The Police. I've never listened to them before…"

"Well, they're good, you should take a listen sometime," advised Drew, beginning to close the door when an idea sprang to life in his head. "Listen," he hastily added, "if you train tomorrow, listen to some songs off the album called _The Singles_ by The Police. It's good…er…exercise music," he finished lamely.

"Okay," May replied, shooting him a look that said, plain as day, _Boys are weird – and you're not the exception._

"Just do it, okay?" he said, and without knowing quite how it had got there, May found herself clutching the stem of a gorgeous ruby-red rose.

"Bye," the brunette squeaked as the door shut with a decisive _ca-clunk_.

Then and only then did she allow her thoughts to come crashing in on her like a storm of choppy, disjointed waves. _I'm going on a date with Drew Hayden! I really am! And I didn't even have to ask! But that doesn't even matter, because I'M GOING ON A DATE WITH DREW HAYDEN!_ Barely managing to keep from screaming aloud (so as not to disturb the elderly), May danced an exuberant, hyperactive jig all the way back to Room 184. Her heart swelled with happy disbelief as yet another thought hit her: although she'd anticipated having to ask Drew, _he'd_ asked _her_ instead! It all seemed like a fairy tale. She stopped to remind herself, however, that Drew had asked her out because Ash had supposedly "made" him…but whatever, she told herself blissfully, that didn't really matter much, did it?

Upon reaching hers and Misty's room, the Coordinator was reluctant to break the spell that this recent bit of information had cast upon her; but finally, she knocked quietly on the cool oak surface.

Nobody answered. She knocked louder.

Still nobody. Throwing consideration for the elderly to the winds, May pounded her gloved fist against the door multiple times.

"For Pete's sake, I'm…" The door was thrown open, and a rather frizzy red head appeared, and under it was Misty's tired face. The look vanished after a moment, however, to be replaced by shining expectation. "Did you, y'know…_ask_ him?" she queried, grabbing May's shoulders.

"No," said her friend, relishing the moment. Misty's face drooped, then turned sullen.

"Well, then, why – but how – YOU SAID WE WOULD BE EVEN!"

"We are," May said smilingly. She extended the rose toward Misty, hoping to get her point across.

Misty cocked her red head, studying the brunette. "But then, what…" her voice trailed off as the answer clicked. "But that means…_he_ asked _you_ out!"

May had never felt more elation in her entire life than when she gazed at that rose, watching the hall lights set each petal aflame. "Bingo."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The next morning found May practicing in one of the many training arenas set up exclusively for the Hoenn Premier.

"Take the stage, guys! Beautifly, use your Psychic! Skitty, Assist!"

The risky combination resulted in a psychically-controlled Razor Leaf, which soared into the sky and then drifted down as tiny flecks of bright green foliage, each piece imbued with a purplish tinge.

"Yes!" cried the Coordinator, pumping a fist. "Amazing work, guys! Now, if only Skitty knew Razor Leaf…because I don't think Venusaur would be too great of a choice for this particular Contest…" she trailed off, tapping her chin. "I want something sleek and beautiful…fast-paced…"

"- Like a Roselia? Or a Flygon?"

Without batting an eyelash, May retorted, "Not necessarily, wise guy."

"Fine. Be that way." Drew retreated to his own corner of the arena, sending out the two Pokemon he'd mentioned without a word of greeting – to them or to May. From across the arena, May heard him say coolly, "Petal Dance, Dragonbreath."

The two Pokemon complied, and a burst of blue and purple flame erupted from Flygon's mouth, while a shimmer of pink leaves swirled around Roselia. The leaves were engulfed in fire, sending rainbow-colored ashes drifting down from the high ceiling. As Flygon flapped its polygonal wings, the ashes drifted this way and that, catching the light even more and enrapturing the watching Coordinators.

"Not bad," May muttered, grabbing her energy bar and biting off a chunk savagely. "But I can do better."

"- Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you," sang another familiar voice, this one female.

May glowered. "Misty. Shut it."

" – Anything you can do, I can -"

"_Misty._"

"Okay, okay," said Misty in a singsong voice, holding her hands up good-naturedly (a devilish twinkle could be seen in her wide blue eyes, however). Ever since last night, May had observed, Misty had been walking on air. She supposed it was because of the date, although when she'd asked that of the redheaded girl, it had been quite a different story…

"So…" May said slyly as the two brushed their teeth in front of the single bathroom mirror, "are you happy that Ash accepted?"

_Misty cast her friend a dark, skeptical glance. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_Well…yeah, I guess," the Cerulean Sister replied quickly, turning her head so that her fiery hair hid her face. "If you count that fact that you _made_ me ask him."_

_May spit her toothpaste into the sink with gusto. "Well, you've been awfully happy since last night…" she observed, trying to keep the teasing tone out of her voice._

"_Nonsense," said Misty, pausing to spit her toothpaste out with equal force. "I'm just doing this so poor Ash won't have to be embarrassed by Drew. You know Drew would make fun of Ash if I didn't accept."_

"_But you were the one to ask," the brunette couldn't help but adding quietly._

_Misty had sharp hearing. Pivoting toward May, she brandished her toothbrush at the girl like a mallet. "How dare you!" she yelled, bits of minty-fresh concoction flying off the bristles. "I only asked because YOU made me!"_

"_That I will admit," said May irritably, wiping a speck of toothpaste out of her eye. "But you would have asked him, anyway," she added laughingly, dodging a furious toothbrush-swipe from Misty, who was growling like an angry Poochyena._

_Ah, good times…_ May thought. True or not (though she suspected the latter), the brunette had expected Misty to be worrying over what she was going to wear, how she should act, and things like that – not that May had much advice to offer, she admitted to herself with a grimace. Instead, she seemed to be taking it pretty well.

"Hey, come in, earth to May!" said the subject of May's musings, waving her arms impatiently.

The Coordinator started. "Um…what?" She was tired, and ready to take a break. She had suffered from insomnia the previous night, catching little snatches of slumber here and there. The little sleep she had gotten had been riddled with strange dreams that caused her to awaken again, over and over.

"Listen, why don't you just relax and check out the competition while I look around a bit?" As she was about to walk through the EXIT door, Misty turned around and mouthed devilishly, _I'll leave you and Drew alone now._

"Whatever," May muttered, plopping down on a nearby bench as she glanced at her rival. As she settled herself with a creak on its slatted seat, she took out Drew's iPod and flicked mindlessly through the songs, feeling as if she was supposed to be doing something…

_Oh, yeah…_The Singles_!_ May found the album and opened the page, her eyes skimming over the names for the first time. Only one jumped out at her from the beginning.

Shocked into dumb silence, May's brain scanned the title over and over again: _Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic_.

She pressed the Play button.

Though I've tried before to tell her

_Of the feelings I have for her in my heart,_

_Every time that I come near her_

_I just lose my nerve as I've done from the start…_

_Every little thing she does is magic,_

_Every thing she do just turns me on_

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for her goes on…_

_Do I have to tell the story_

_Of a thousand rainy days since we first met,_

_It's a big enough umbrella,_

_But it's always me that ends up getting wet…_

  
As the chorus repeated itself, May sighed and drifted into a slouch on the bench while the music washed over her, the piano melody sweeping her far away. Even so, as she listened, she thought. Why would Drew keep this stuff on his iPod? He wasn't a romantic - well, in a way, he actually was, she reminded herself. But still… _Oh, well, I'll just enjoy the song for now…_

_I resolve to call her up_

_A thousand times a day,_

_To ask her if she'll marry me,_

_Some old-fashioned way_

_But my silent fears have gripped me,_

_Long before I reach the phone_

_Long before my tongue has tripped me,_

_Must I always be alone?_

_Every little thing she does is magic,_

_Every thing she do just turns me on_

_Even though my life before was tragic,_

_Now I know my love for her goes on…_

Her romantic side fully captivated, May sighed dreamily as she listened to the closing notes. If only those words were being sung to her…but that would be just too much to ask for, even from Drew…

_Wait – what did I just think?_ She shook her auburn hair vigorously as if to clear her head. _Silly, romantically-inclined me._

All the same, she thought as she leaned back to listen again, it _was_ a rather nice thought – actually, it was a very wonderful idea…that someone should think that…of her.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"C-Can I have your autograph, sir?"

"Oh, me too, p-please, Mr. Hayden?"

Barely concealing an inner sigh, Drew scribbled _D. Hayden_ on a Pokeblock cookbook and last year's Grand Festival promotional poster.

"Oh, thank you, thanks!" The two ten-year-olds squealed, shrieking like the infatuated girls they were as they scampered off to find more famous (and most probably male) Coordinators lurking around.

The green-haired boy scratched his head as he turned away. _Weird girls. Hey, is that Ash?_

Sure enough, a familiar black-haired Pokemon Trainer was darting and dodging through the pre-lunch crowd toward him. "Wait up, Drew!" he shouted. His Pikachu was balancing precariously on his shoulder.

"Hey, Ash. What's up?"

"Let's grab some lunch. And then…" his voice grew low.

"What is it, Ash?"

"I kinda need some help picking out what to wear on our date," he mumbled. "I don't know what to -"

"_Our_ date?" interrupted Drew, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," said Ash, his patience already wearing thin. "It _is_ our date, right?"

"I guess," smirked Drew, "but you're the only one who actually -" he broke off, biting his lip. _I can't say that I'm the only one wanting to go on this date, because that would be a lie. But Ash can't know that._ "- You're the one who needs assistance in picking out what to wear," he finished rather lamely.

As he'd suspected, Ash was not impressed. "Okay, so…will ya help me?" the Trainer asked, looking as if he had more to add. But surprisingly, he said no more, and for an unknown reason Drew was grateful.

"All right. I will," sighed the emerald-haired Coordinator, shoving one hand in a pocket and petting Pikachu with the other. "For now, let's go eat." A little voice inside told him, _I've got a feeling that this isn't going to be as easy as I thought._ And as his mind wandered, the lines of a song came to him, and he hummed a few bars as they made their way to the restaurant:

_I resolve to call her up_

_A thousand times a day,_

_To ask her if she'll marry me,_

_Some old-fashioned way_

_But my silent fears have gripped me,_

_Long before I reach the phone_

_Long before my tongue has tripped me,_

_Must I always be alone?_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Hope you enjoyed it this chapter! I know there wasn't much action in it (except for the beginning, of course), but it was more to reflect on the character's feelings, or at least that's how it turned out. Next chap, the action will start – preparations for the date and the Contest. Gasp! They're on the SAME DAY, if you were paying attention. O__o This could be interesting…but I'll let you decide on that. (REVIEW!)

I'd like to give total credit to Coldplay and The Police for their songs Viva la Vida and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, respectively. (You NEED to go listen to both songs…my personal fav of the two is "Every Little Thing," but perhaps you would think differently. Both are clean songs.) Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri. And the grass is green, the sky is blue, etc. etc., you get the picture. Thanks for reading! Next chap up before too incredibly long (I hope)!

Force be with you,

-Pika


	6. Concerning Tuxedos

_Hey all! I'm back (FINALLY), hopefully with a somewhat interesting chapter. I'd also like to thank everybody for more than 50 WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I read every single one of them, and I appreciate them all. Well…enjoy as usual (hopefully)!_

_-Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Can I help you handsome boys?" asked the blonde salesclerk, twirling a strand of her golden candy-floss hair around one manicured fingertip. "Anything I can get you?"

"No thank you," was Drew's smoothly executed reply. His green eyes were still darting from rack to rack, taking in the huge selection of clothes and accessories all around him. Ash's eyes, he noticed, were sweeping the room too – but he suspected that his companion was looking for an escape route. "We're just browsing around at the moment."

"Well, let me know if you need anything," the young woman replied in a syrupy-sweet tone, winking at Ash, who stuttered something incoherent. Drew thought that it sounded rather like a garbled "Misty help me," but he couldn't be sure. Instead of asking, the Coordinator grabbed his friend by the sleeve and dragged him down the aisle.

Tuxedos. Rows and rows of tuxedos met their eyes as the boys gazed skyward. It was almost as if an army of Headless Horsemen – minus the horse – were marching down upon them, and in spite of himself Drew felt a twinge of trepidation in the pit of his stomach. He had never shopped for a classic tux before, no matter how many times he'd been to some fancy party. But for some reason, a tuxedo seemed, well, appropriate for one's first date – at least, one at a fancy restaurant in a fancy hotel, after participating in a fancy Contest – and with a girl that Drew felt rather obligated to impress…

_No, wait,_ he told himself, shaking his head vigorously. _Just…quit it, Drew. You need to STOP worrying about May and START worrying about the Contest two days from now…and maybe start worrying about what you're going to wear after the Contest…_

Forcing himself to remain calm, Drew steered Ash toward a rack of tuxes that appeared to be their size – Ash was slightly taller than Drew, but that wasn't a big deal, the latter figured.

"Whoa," muttered Ash, stating his first (intelligible) word since the two had arrived. "There're a lot of tuxes."

"Yep," said Drew, mentally preparing himself for the dull task of trying on endless jackets, cummerbunds, and the like. "Let's get cracking," he added, rubbing his palms together.

Ash shot him a strange glance. _May was right, all those times she ranted about you,_ the look said. _You ARE weird._

"Whatever!" said Drew, chuckling darkly as he shoved Ash aside. "Let's start trying these things on, already." He glanced around, sober once more. "Where'd that blonde lady get to?"

"Oh, no," Ash mumbled, his shoulders hunched. "Not _her_ again."

Drew grinned. "What's wrong with a little help from someone who obviously knows fashion? Unless you've got some designing skills that you've kept in the closet up till now."

"N-No, no!" The Trainer's tousled head drooped. "Let's get this over with."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Fresh out of the hot shower, May towel-dried her long hair, pulling it back into a single ponytail. Her mind was whirling even as she grabbed her jacket and strode out the door. _Where will we look for stuff to wear? I don't know where anything is around here – and Brock was always the "map guy," anyway…but with him home at the Gym, I guess I'm on my own._ She sighed.

"There you are," came a voice from behind the brunette. "I've been waiting for you." Misty appeared at May's side, falling into step easily with her best friend. "What did you want me for, anyway?"

"So," May said simply as they took the carpeted stairs (what was it with these over-crowded elevators, anyway?). "Any ideas on where to go shopping for dresses?"

"Nope," said the redhead, digging distractedly through her bag. "But I've got a coupon that my sisters gave me ages ago for a place around here, I think – here it is!" She extracted a crumpled wad of paper from the red bag and began to smooth it, muttering, "I hope it hasn't expired…"

May grabbed Misty's arm to keep her from running into one of the many marble pillars that stood around the Premiere Hotel. "Well?" she prodded after a moment.

"It expires…today!" said Misty, giving a breathless hop of excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Easy there," May replied, chuckling as they approached the lobby. "We need to ask directions first. Look, there's the guy we saw -"

She realized her mistake too late. Misty's face paled at the same moment that her eyes widened and her mouth became a tight, grim line. If May hadn't been one of Misty's best friends (not to mention a sensitive person in general) she would have burst out laughing. Instead, she approached the attendant like a girl who didn't have a mortified best friend clinging desperately to her and whispering, "You're making a big mistake!"

"Excuse me," said May bravely to the infamous man in the chartreuse suit, "could you please tell us the location of this store?" Fingers trembling, she extended Misty's still-wrinkled the coupon toward him (although she hadn't meant for it to happen, some of Misty's irrational fear of the man in green had rubbed off on the brunette).

His dark glasses glinted at her for a long moment, and she forced herself to meet his gaze as best she could, considering his choice of eyewear. At last the man spoke. "The Rosa Bella Boutique is only ten minutes' walking distance away, on the corner of Belue Avenue and Pecha Street. Does that help?"

"Yes it does, very much," said May gratefully. "Thank you. And," she added on impulse and in a low voice, "I'm sorry about my friend. She's just…kind of…I didn't know that she'd…"

"Oh, it's no trouble, really," the attendant replied, as amiable as he had been coolly distant a moment before. "I understand. My sister is the same way – she doesn't like seeing me in uniform. Apparently it's intimidating." He shrugged. "Tell your friend it's nothing personal, okay? By the way, I got the clear from Mr. Hayden that you were free to come calling on him when you so chose. So I, too, am sorry about our earlier incident."

May realized that her mouth was hanging open and quickly shut it. "I didn't know that Drew knew about 'our incident'," she muttered, as much to herself as to the man in green.

"I've gathered that Mr. Hayden gets around a lot," the employee replied quickly. "And it seems that the two of you are pretty close as well."

If ever someone could look mischevious with a pair of dark sunglasses on, May thought, this man had pulled it off. "You could say that," she replied, equally coy, to both statements.

The man's eyes were unreadable the dark glasses. "Have a nice day, Miss Maple."

"You too, and thanks again," May replied, turning away more quickly than she had intended to and almost tripping over Misty. "C'mon," she said, suddenly energized, "that store is only ten minutes away!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"How about this one?" Ash raised a tired but hopeful glance toward his green-haired friend as he modeled a sharply-cut, jet-black tuxedo jacket. "It looks nice."

"Eh…I don't really like the fit of that one, to be honest."

"Picky," Ash muttered, throwing the silk cummerbund to the ground at his feet. "It looks fine to me."

"Do you want my help, or not?" Drew demanded.

"I just want to get a tux and go!" And with that, Ash stormed out of the mirrored room, yanking on his jeans as he went, and with a frustrated Drew stumbling out of patent leather shoes to follow him.

"Ash – Ash – don't do anything -"

The green-haired boy recognized the sound of a store alarm going off and saw a very disoriented Ash being held by security guards, who were removing his un-bought tuxedo jacket.

"- stupid," Drew finished with a sigh. He could feel the rough, cold sidewalk through his socks as he pelted toward the little posse.

Just as the Coordinator reached Ash and his "friends," the blonde woman who'd been helping them pick tuxes stumbled out of the store, her heavily-sprayed hair sticking out at odd angles. She attempted to scrunch it back into place as she ran, finally stopping in front of the two guards. "George, Harry…" she panted, "he wasn't going to steal the jacket…I was just helping him try on tuxes…but from what I've gathered, he's trying them on by force…" She mustered enough energy to wink broadly at Drew. "Right?"

"Right," said Drew, attempting to smile back at her. He suspected that it came across as more of a grimace. "Ash wasn't going to – hey, wait! May! Get over here!"

From across the busy street, her voice floated back to him: "Since when do I have to obey your every command?" But all the same she was across the street in a moment, dragging a very confused Misty behind her.

"What's going on here?" The redhead's eyes darted from the security guards to Ash to the blonde and back again.

"I don't exactly know," Drew replied confidentially. "Although it appears that our dear Ash has attempted to make off with one-half of a tuxedo." May snorted.

"HAVE NOT!" Ash's eyes were practically bugging out of his head.

"- Accidentally," Drew amended.

Even Misty had to chuckle at that. "Even _he_ wouldn't do something like that," she added loyally, although her face gave her amusement away.

"That's what I've been telling you," said the blonde woman firmly to the guards. "Let him go with no charge if he'll take the jacket off."

"Gladly," said Ash, finding his tongue at last. Instantly, the jacket was off.

The salesclerk was immediately at his side, whisking the undesirable clothing out of Ash's hands. "Are you okay?" she said sweetly, bending over him.

"Of course," mumbled Ash at the same time that Misty growled, "Of all the nerve-!"

"It's okay, Misty," said May, smiling wickedly as she took the redhead's arm, "you don't have to prove to us that you're jealous."

"Shouldn't have said that," said Drew, grabbing May's shoulder and steering her away from Misty's seething wrath. "Let's get out of here and let Ash pick his own tux – speaking of which, I never got myself one," he finished ruefully.

May felt sure that her heart was beating faster than normal – and that Drew must be able to hear it. "Well…" she began, distracted by his hand on her shoulder.

"What?" he asked a little too quickly, glancing at his hand before removing it to dig in his pocket for change. He refused to meet the redhead's questioning gaze.

The brunette sighed, starting again. "Well…I don't really see the need for a tux."

Drew nearly dropped his quarters, dimes, and pennies. "What do you mean?"

"Well…I like yo – I mean, I like us the way we are," she said, giggling nervously. "Why don't we just go in normal stuff? I mean, we _are_ amazingly talented Coordinators, so we can walk into a fancy restaurant in casual clothes, right?" she added teasingly.

"_One_ of us is an amazingly talented Coordinator, you mean," said Drew, earning himself a shove from his fellow Coordinator. _Of course, I'm only kidding, May,_ he added silently. _You_ are _talented. Maybe someday I'll –_

"Besides," May added, breaking through his thoughts, "it isn't like this is an _actual_ date – not for the two of us, I mean," she added. Drew imagined that he heard regret in her tone.

"That's true…" he trailed off helplessly, feeling like a liar. _I'm such a coward._

The brunette chose that moment to change the subject. "Anyway, shopping at the Rosa Bella Boutique was a big waste of time. All their stuff was lots more money than I'm willing to spend – or at least, what I should spend. And as for you," she added, shooting Drew a sly glance, "purple is the new black, right?"

The emerald-haired boy did a double-take. "Are you insulting my wardrobe?"

"You could say that."

"Let's stop at this café before I lose my temper and begin insulting your Coordinating skills."

May grinned. "Deal."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_So…this chapter started out how I thought it would – and ended up completely differently than I'd planned. Believe it or not, next chapter there will actually be some Pokemon Contest-ing going on, so get excited! (Or not; it depends on whether or not you like Contests. I do.) But besides that, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, even though it's kind of an in-between one._

_So, you know what I'm gonna say, if you've read previous chapters. …REVIEW! And thanks for reading, as usual!_

_- Pika_


	7. The Preliminaries

Okay…here we go! This was interesting (and I will admit, challenging) to write. But hopefully, it's worth it! Once again, I'm not good enough to own Pokamon. Satoshi Tajiri is. And I'm not good enough to have written "Every Little Thing," but apparently, The Police are. So I don't own their song either. Or iPods. So enjoy, R&R, all that good stuff, etc. etc. Thanks for reading!

-Pika

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Every little thing she does is magic

_Every thing she do just turns me on_

_Even though my life before was tragic_

_Now I know my love for her goes on…_

It was odd to see people's mouths moving, or see a small child dropping something heavy, and yet not be able to hear the sounds that should follow. It was a feeling that May was experiencing as she walked to the backstage area set up for the Hoenn Premiere, ruby-red headphones quieting the chaos around her while pumping The Police's smooth beat into her ears.

Realizing that she was entering the restricted area marked FOR CONTESTANTS ONLY, May turned her rival's iPod off, slipping her headphones off her ears as she flashed her Contest Pass at the little desk set up before the door. Just before she was about to continue on, however, an interruption occurred.

Straining her eyes to make out what was causing a wave of confusion in the crowd, May couldn't help but laugh as she realized who it was.

"Good luck, May! We'll be rooting for you!" cried a voice. Blasting through the packed waiting area, a familiar redhead shoved her way to the front amidst cries of "Hey!" "What're you -" "Hey, watch it!" "Look out!"

May embraced her friend, a grin spreading across her face. "Thanks, Misty. It means a lot." _Especially what with all the pressure that comes with being in an exclusive Contest like this one,_ she added silently.

"No problem," the Cerulean Sister replied easily, seeming to read May's mind as both pairs of blue eyes met. "Watching you in your element is as rewarding as watching my fellow Gym Leaders in theirs. So go get 'em!"

"I sure will!" said May. She cocked her head as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "But what did you mean by 'we'?"

"I meant 'we'," Misty repeated simply. She reached back past an unsuspecting man and grabbed Ash by the ear, dragging him forward. He glared at her as he massaged his ear.

"Ouch," Ash sulked. "Well, anyway, good luck, May. Misty will definitely be cheering for you, but I'll probably be getting my numerous injuries treated. OW!" he repeated as Misty smacked his arm. "We'll _both_ be in the stands cheering," he modified his statement grudgingly. "Come on, Misty, let's go! I want to get in line for the snack bar before the Contest starts!"

Misty shot a helpless, humorous glance at her best friend before taking her turn at being dragged around. _See you afterward,_ she mouthed before being swallowed up in the vast crowd.

"Will do, Misty – hey! Excuse me," May cried, interrupting herself as she was jostled by someone attempting to brush past her. "Watch where you're -"

"Hey! Watch where you're -" said her offender at the exact same moment.

"- going," the brunette finished, heaving a sigh as she realized who she'd run in to. "Drew. Hi."

With an all-too-familiar sweep of a hand through his hair, the Coordinator made a show of studying his jacket before replying. "So…are you prepared?"

"Sure I am," said May, with a little more fire than she had intended. Although she didn't want to admit it, the brunette had been hoping that Drew would at least wish her good luck.

Drew chuckled at her spirit, an action which she was well-accustomed to. It was just a part of their relationship – he the calm, omnitient rival, she the fiery, passionate competitor. But then the grass-headed boy did something different - he looked at his shoes, stepped back a few paces, then glanced up again, only to return his gaze to his shoes.

May had never seen him this fidgety. Finally she had to speak. "Um, Drew…what's wrong with your feet?"

"Nothin'." He had to practically force himself to meet her eyes. That was unusual; even he was aware of it. "Just – with your new style, I mean – do your best, okay?"

The heat had begun rising in May's face at his words, and it only became worse as she realized the implications of his statement. "Well, why…why wouldn't I?" she asked, curiosity overriding frustration.

The call for all Coordinators to assemble resounded through the anteroom, and Drew was evidently using it as an excuse to avoid his rival's question. "Just…don't let anyone influence you. No one else can do this for you, so…go for the win, May."

May tried to say something, but a throng of eager contestants was pressing in on her, and she didn't think any sound would have come out if she'd spoken just then, anyway. _Go for the win? Of course I will, but…_

When the crowd at the door had thinned out somewhat and May turned around to confront her rival, he was gone. No rose. No more words. No nothing. The space that Drew's being had occupied was soon filled with other Coordinators…but the restless space in May's heart was nevertheless empty.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Gimme some," Misty ordered. A handful of popcorn was passed into her hand, and just as swiftly entered into her mouth. "Thanks," she remembered to mumble through a mouthful of the buttery kernels.

"Welcome," said Ash shortly, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the stage. Their pre-Contest entertainment consisted of a stand-up comedian and a so-called President of the Pokemon Contest League. Neither one was exactly what you would call 'entertaining.'

Misty munched thoughtfully, completely ignoring the President of the Pokemon Contest League. "D'you think May's nervous?"

"How would I know?" Ash seemed to be torn between watching the President nervously stumble over words and having his popcorn reach his mouth. Sadly, when he tried to compromise he only ended up with spilled popcorn that had missed its target by inches. "May never _looks_ nervous anymore," he stated with a note of triumph in his voice (the popcorn had entered his mouth!). "But who knows if she really is or not? Drew's not sweating, that's for sure."

Ash's redheaded companion quickly picked up on the "boys vs. girls" tone of the comment and responded in kind. "You know that May's at least as good as him by now. Girls are always cool under pressure," she added with a wink.

"Oh yeah?

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"And now," a voice over the intercom announced, "our Coordinators!"

Misty's and Ash's cheers were drowned out by the roar of their fellow spectators as a line of Pokemon Coordinators wound onto the large platform. May was near the middle of the line, with Drew at the head. Misty had to admit that Drew looked totally distant and unconcerned, while May's stance and fiery eyes made her appear more like a live wire.

Apparently, Ash had noticed too. "Told you," he muttered in her ear. "Drew's definitely more calm."

Misty knew that he'd only been that close because of the noise level, but her heart couldn't seem to register that fact. "Yeah, right," she said, red-faced as she shoved him away. "Being a little edgy before a performance, or a battle, is important – so May's at the top of her game."

Ash only had time to respond with a smug look before the intercom blared, "TIME FOR THE PRELIMINARIES!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

May's eyes were focused completely on the large, overhanging screen in the locker room. She was unconsciously twisting her hands together as the computer-operated randomizer shuffled the pictures of the sixty contestants. Behind her, fifty-nine other teens were watching just as anxiously.

With a small 'blip,' the contestants' pictures reassembled in a totally new order. May finally found her confidently grinning face in the middle of the pack. Drew, she couldn't help but observe, was fourth.

"Hmm," came his voice from just behind her. "I'll be able to get it over and done with, at least."

"That's one way to think of it," May replied idly. Often the two rivals would talk to each other about statistics or other competitors prior to a Contest, sometimes without ever making eye contact since she liked to sit and he preferred to stand. This promised to be one of those Contests.

_Good,_ the brunette thought, _it's just like any other Contest. Almost, except for afterward –_

"And you're in the thirties somewhere. Right in the middle."

"Yup." May shook off any thoughts but those purely focused on competing. _Save thoughts about the "date" for later, May._ "That's about where I like to be," she said, just talking to hear the sound of her own voice. "That way I don't have to set a standard at the beginning, but I'm not the last one that anyone remembers at the very end."

"Why not be remembered?" It was hardly audible. "_You deserve to be remembered, May_."

May frowned. "Drew, did you just say something? It sounded like somebody said -"

"No, it was nothing," he said hastily.

"Okay, then," said May distractedly, taking out her Pokeballs. "I wonder which ones I'll use…"

Drew left her to her musings ("Once girls get going, they never stop!") and went to get a drink of water. He let his thoughts drift as he grabbed a bottle from the cooler at the back of the room.

_Why am I such a coward? Whenever something meaningful comes out of my mouth, it's so quiet that nobody can hear it, even _her_…I guess I'll have one last chance, and that's tonight. But maybe before she goes out to compete in the secondaries, I'll do something special…yes, because she's sure to make it past the preliminary round…_

With a new, haphazard, half-formed plan in mind, Drew came back to May's bench. He realized that he was carrying two water bottles, and without really thinking bopped her over the head with one.

"HEY! WHAT -" The brunette blinked. "Oh. Hey, Drew."

Wordlessly he handed her the water.

She blinked again. "Thanks, but…why the niceness? Aren't you going to get angry and insult my skills or something?"

"Hardy har har," he said dryly. "Not right before a, exclusive Contest like the Hoenn Premiere, silly."

"Oh," May said again, now downing her water bottle. "Okay. It's kind of a nice change."

Drew stepped around a gaggle of chattering female Coordinators and sat down on her bench, staring at his bottle cap. "Is it?" he asked quietly.

May raised an eyebrow. Her rival hardly ever sat down before an appeal, let alone next to her. Her emotions seemed numb, however, because of the Contest so close at hand. "Is it what?" she asked, staring off into space.

"Is it a nice change, me not insulting you?"

"I said what I said."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't do that."

She refused to look at him, studying the stat board instead.

"What would make you trust me?"

The brunette started, her wide eyes turned to his. "Trust you?" _Drew, I _do_ trust you. It's just hard for me to know exactly _why.

"Yes." He had come from sitting on the opposite edge of the bench to being within elbow-nudging length. And this he did.

She elbowed him back, trying to keep her composure. "Well, I guess it would take a lot…" she said, experiencing an inexplicable desire to stare at the ceiling.

"Despite the fact that I think you're playing coy, I'm willing to pay the price…in full," he said.

"Drew…Andrew Hayden, don't you…don't…you…"

"Don't 'Andrew' me," he said, leaning breathtakingly close to her face. His voice was gentle; musical with laughter.

"I won't," she managed to say before their lips –

"Drew Hayden!" The loudspeaker blared. "Number Four, Drew Hayden to the stage, please!"

The distant roar of the crowd seemed to throb in the couple's ears. Drew backed away, somehow keeping his feet under him; his face turned away, he strode quickly away.

"Drew!" May yelled, shaking her head in disbelief. "D-DREW!"

His eyes met hers for an instant over the heads of the fifty-eight others, then he raised a hand before disappearing (a means of transportation which he seemed to have at his disposal).

"Drew," said May, the sounds around her silencing as she retreated to the furthermost corners of her brain. "Andrew," she whispered as she put a finger to her lips. "Almost. So close."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The effects of Flygon's DragonBreath and Roselia's Petal Dance were still shimmering throughout the building as the judges gave Drew their accolades.

"Remarkable! Absolutely _remarkable_!"

"Splendid; truly superb! Your combination as well as the final touch of Fire versus Grass was outstanding!"

"It was so sparkly and wonderful! A girl's dream!"

Drew thanked them cordially before returning his beloved duo to their Pokeballs. _A girl's dream, huh?_ He wondered at Nurse Joy's statement as he walked off the stage with a small wave, which of course drove the females in the audience wild.

"And Drew gets a whopping 29.7!" He heard the announcer's voice receding as he drew further and further away from the roaring crowd that he loved performing for.

Suddenly he didn't feel like dealing with anyone else…but it seemed like he wasn't about to get any peace any time soon.

"Ohmigosh, Drew! You were, like, amazing out there!"

"_Quit talking to him!_" hissed another girl. "I mean, um, you were great, Drew," she giggled, her voice totally different as she addressed the green-haired boy.

"Thanks," he sighed, slipping past them as they showered more giggling compliments on him. It was going to be a long wait until May's round.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"May Maple! Number thirty-two, May Maple to the stage, please."

Shaking her head to clear it, the brunette slid off the bench and began to walk away from the anteroom, her mind a haze. She couldn't help but feel a pressing weight of failure, even before she'd made her appeal. She'd tried repeatedly in the last hour to shake the feeling, but it refused to unglue itself from her conscience.

Now it was time. And she hadn't even decided which Pokemon to use! She put a finger to her temple. _Which two did I use during practice? Skitty and…and…_

"For Beautifly."

"Oh! Thank you, sir," said May breathlessly. "I was trying to remember -"

"No. Really," Drew said, stepping out of the shadows. "For Beautifly."

The rose shone with a dull red hue. She took it wordlessly.

"I'm sure Beautifly is welcome," he said at last, flashing an uncertain smile.

"Yes, I-I'm sure." May worked up enough nerve to stare her rival in the face. "Drew…I feel like I'm -"

"No time to be feeling like you're not good enough," he said earnestly, nudging her forward with the tip of a shoe. "Go on. It's the one-minute warning."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. A thousand sentences started in her mind and died before they could reach her lips. "Yes. And, Drew -"

"Yeah?" It was hard to tell, but she thought that he was half-turned away from her.

"Thank you for the rose," she whispered, taking a half-step toward him. After a moment of indecision, she turned and reluctantly ran along the dark hallway until she reached the stairs, which led to the stage, which led to her performance, which led to…what? She was about to find out.

Meanwhile, Drew touched his cheek where he could've sworn her fingers had brushed it. Of course, there was no way to be sure. But no matter what had transpired, he felt better than he ever had before about giving a rose "to Beautifly," for the sole reason that he felt that he had justified the action…or at least, almost.

During the date, he thought smugly as he returned to the anteroom to watch her performance, during the date, well, things would be _different._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Wow, this was hard to do…I really wanted to get something in before Thanksgiving, so I could take a vacation…and hopefully, I've earned it! (You decide and let me know via REVIEW!) So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I found it hard to describe the goings-on of the Contest in-depth without killing the ContestShippy plot, so I tried to keep the Contest stuff pretty obscure. Hope all you guys who are savvy on the technicalities don't mind. I'll probably keep doing that for the rest of the Contest.

_Also, let me know if I'm getting our dear Andrew a little OOC…(Once again, review if it's bugging you…or if it's not, which is good!) And yeah, I think his full name's probably Andrew. If you don't hope it doesn't ruin the entire story for you, haha._

_Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all of your great feedback and patience!_

_-Pika_


	8. Round One

_...Wow, it's been awhile! Like, nine months! Sorry 'bout that...it's kind of ironic that I'm squishing this in when I'm busier than ever. Ah well; at least it's in, right? And hopefully at least as good as ever :) Some things never change...so please let me know what you think via REVIEW! Thanks for being so patient, and I hope I don't disappoint!_

_~Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

May gulped.

_No time to be feeling like you're not good enough, _her brain repeated over and over. It kept time with her footfalls, which seemed to crash like miniature explosions on the cold concrete. A mere five feet away from her the floor became solid oak. It was burnished to such a bright sheen that May could see a pale, drawn face staring back at her. And then she heard her name.

"Next up is number thirty-seven, May Maple! May, you may begin when ready."

A blanket of near-dead silence fell over the crowd. Several thousand pairs of eyes were fixed on stage left.

"Beautifly, Skitty, take the STAGE!" Skipping out under the glaring lights as if she hadn't a care in the world, May tossed the two Pokeballs into space, giving them a dexterous flip before letting them fly. The practiced motion gave her Pokemon excellent position as they emerged from the capsules, each crying out as they appeared in a whirl of refracted light.

_It's now or never, so..._ "Skitty, use Assist!" May cried.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Rash choice." Drew's fist clenched at the same moment as his jaw. _What is she thinking?_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A myriad of sandy, gritty dust motes were dancing past the lights ("The last Coordinator must've used Sandstorm or something," May muttered), creating a low-visibility, disconcerting effect. May could just make out many small, colorful objects floating through the air. But what were they?

Her heart plummeted to her stomach as she realized that Skitty hadn't released green leaves. It vaulted into her throat as she realized that they were rose petals. _Petal Dance! I can still use that...but what pattern to use...?_

"And now...Beautifly, _Psychic_!" Squinting upward, she put all of her trust in Beautifly. They had practiced this before, but the resulting shapes varied and mostly seemed to depend on a combination of Beautifly's whim and May's mood. It was risky, to be sure.

_Who am I kidding? This whole THING is risky! _Somewhere above the Coordinator, Beautifly was conducting the formation of whatever pattern it chose. The two shared such a close bond that Beautifly was acutely attuned to her Coordinator's moods; a frequent joke among her friends was that the butterfly Pokemon could read her mind.

_I hope it's no joke,_ May thought grimly.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"...and what exactly is May up to?" the announcer's excited voice began to seep into Drew's consciousness. Up till now, he hadn't been paying it a second thought. "It appears that she's trying to use the size of the stage to her advantage. She seems to be making some sort of pattern in the air, upheld by her Beautifly's telepathic abilities..."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The Premiere Stadium was practically legendary among Coordinators of its day. At its peak, the dome-shaped structure towered sixty feet into the air. A gigantic skylight adorned the crest of the stadium, which caused a dramatic effect when sunlight streamed in through the glass and reflected off the highly polished floor. The "Window in the Sky," as it had been dubbed, had swiftly become an icon of Pokemon Contests.

May was making the most of her environment. She gazed up - and down, and every direction in between - as her Beautifly's telekenesis carried Skitty's leaves all around the arena. _Please, please work._

"It looks like Beautifly's work is nearly done!" The announcer rose from his seat, shading his eyes. "However, the Sandstorm created by competitor Danny's Tyranitar hasn't abated yet...let's see..."

Inwardly May resolved to give Danny (whoever he was) a talking-to after this torture was all over. She couldn't see anything!

Then the dust did something strange.

"That's absurd!" cried the announcer.

"That's crazy!" whispered Misty.

"That's _weird_!" yelled Ash. "Ouch! Misty, don't hit -"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"That's...whoa." Drew said. Then his heart flopped like a Magikarp in his chest. _Wait a second...she didn't...!_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"_Brilliant_! Miss Maple and her Beautifly have created an absolutely _gorgeous_ figure...a rose! And the dust has only _enhanced_ it!"

A _rose_. May gazed at her and Beautifly's creation. It towered to the ceiling, kissing the rays of light from the Window in the Sky, yet nearly brushed the heads of the closest audience members. Clouds of now-sparkling dust did, indeed, enhance the awed response that the stunning rose would already elicit. She couldn't really see the rose in its entirety; however, the explosion of applause that followed her reflections was enough to reassure her of success.

"We...we did it, Beautifly...nice work, Skitty!" Darn that gritty dust, it was getting in her eyes...it was becoming awfully hard to see...She lifted her hand, and she could tell that her winged Pokemon had alighted on it. She blinked faster and faster.

"How absolutely lovely! A stunningly feminine display!"

"...Phenomenal! Just_...phenomenal_!"

"Your technique and beauty were combined splendidly! Wonderful!"

Blinking red numbers flashed on the board above the thousands. May held her breath. Beautifly steadied itself on her trembling fingers.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_There's the score...here it comes..._ Drew realized, for the first time since May's little stint, that he actually appeared as tense as he felt. Unacceptable. He straightened on the bench and unclasped his fingers, just in time to stop them from running through his hair. Did he want a better score than _her_...or not? He couldn't answer his own question.

"And May receives a score of..."

Drew sighed, staring downward as he unclasped his fingers in...relief? He stopped trying to read his own emotions and, once again, slumped on the bench.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"And May recieves a score of...29.8!"

With no words but a simply uttered "thank you", May returned her Pokemon to their 'Balls, bowed, and strode away, shoulders back and head high. The crowd roared as she was released from the glow of the spotlights and was swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel connected to the magnificent platform.

Away from the thousands of eyes, May slumped in relief as realization dawned on her. Swiping a hand across her eyes, a slight smile curved her lips. _Such a gorgeous__ rose..._

_...and I beat Drew's score._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_...Phew! It took a lot of effort to grind this one out, and I hope it doesn't show *too* much. If it does, feel free to tell me so, and I'll do my best to write the next one with a little more finesse. But hey, I'm just getting back into this whole fanfic thing again, so...anyway, no matter WHAT your opinion is, REVIEW! It'll make the author happy! Next chap hopefully up soon, with (gaspeth!) more drama! :)_

_~Pika_


	9. Ironclad

_Alright, please please PLEASE don't shoot me for not posting in, like, a year. Now that school's almost over, I can actually contribute to the fanfiction world! Yeah! Okay, here we go! Read and REVIEW! Feedback = 3._

_~Pika_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

He was definitely _not_ pleased with the fact that he, Drew Hayden, had been defeated by a bumbling girl. An intuitive and naturally talented girl, but bumbling nonetheless. No, this was a horrifying turn of events. (Had he just referred to May as "intuitive"? This day was getting worse and worse.)

...So why didn't he feel horrified? _Gah! Drew, stop overthinking or you'll fry your brain before Round Two._ Disgusted with himself, he ran his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time that day. His gaze flicked toward the door. Footsteps. Light, quick footsteps echoing on the concrete beyond the entryway.

He stood as she appeared. A feeling of weightlessness washed over him as her face came into focus. Now several Coordinators were buzzing around the door, and his chance was snatched away. No matter; he honestly didn't know if he would kiss her or scream in her face. _Wait...kiss her? Oh, gosh, Drew, you really need a vacation..._ He stared at his hands. Fiddled with his hair. Drank some water. Waited for her.

She was taking her time. Several male Coordinators who would've turned any girl's head came to shake her hand. One asked her if she had any plans for dinner that evening.

"Well, actually, uh, I'm, um, a bit tied up tonight...so..."

Seeing her hesitate was too much. Crossing the few feet between them, Drew glanced at the other guy apologetically, as if he wouldn't take up too much of their time. "Excuse me, May, but for our dinner tonight, did you say that we'd just go in street clothes? Remind me."

May blinked. Drew's sly rebuttal of the other guy's attentions seemed to have rendered her mute. Seconds ticked by.

Drew stifled a sigh. "May," he murmured, "remind me." He didn't dare look at the other guy's face too pointedly, but a quick glance told him that his query had done its job - the kid seemed completely turned off. The guy began to sidle away, muttering a confused "Congratulations" to May before retreating completely.

"...We're wearing street clothes," May replied at last, red-faced.

_Seriously?_ Drew shook his head. "Nice going, May. Such a quick tongue."

Instantly he regretted his words. As soon as they left his mouth, a gloved hand clamped over his chin and May was hissing, "You're not gonna _have_ a tongue if you keep that up."

He decided to drop the issue for health reasons. "Hey...did you see the scores?" he asked, his tone light.

If he didn't know better, he would've thought that she'd just winced as he mentioned it. He softened. Of course he wasn't going to scream in her face just because she...beat him (the thought did sting a bit, it was true...). The other option he'd come up with was far more tempting at this point, anyway...

"Yeah," she murmured, "I did. You did a great job." She looked as if she would come closer, but perhaps he was imagining things. "Drew..."

"May, don't," he pleaded.

"But...I feel badly. You didn't win."

He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "You certainly didn't lose."

"Well, I know, but...this is about your feelings, not mine."

"My - my feelings?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, clearly thinking that the discussion was headed in a rather interesting direction.

May's face was beet red. "Not _those_ feelings! The other ones!" she huffed.

She was cute this way, Drew thought. He could definitely get used to this. "Which ones are, and I quote, '_those_ feelings'?"

May did something that she'd done since she was five, a habit never broken: She stamped her foot in pure frustration. He seemed so tall, so...unchanged. He was looking down at her, laughing with his eyes, ironclad against any comment she might make. She was frustrated and delighted all at once.

She decided to throw her best card on the table. "Ummm...an hour ago, you sorta tried to kiss me?"

"Oh, that?" He was (silently) laughing harder than ever. "You had dirt on your cheek. I was gonna wipe it off."

"_Right_. Sure. Well, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Denial, I've got a battle to prepare for." She flounced away, not giving him a second glance. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, and one thought pervaded her heart, keeping time with her steps:

_I could get used to this._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Alright, so I know it's short, but I needed to post something (plus I'm a sucker for cute, dialogue-y scenes), and this tides me over before the battle scene and...THE END OF THE STORY! :D Well, that also makes me sad. But anyway, please REVIEW whether you liked, loved, hated, etc. Thanks for reading!_

_~Pika_


End file.
